The 8 best Western RPGs for people who don't like Western RPGs

By , on January 26, 2015

For as long as I can remember, my favourite genre has been the RPG. At best you get a rich novel-length plot full of interesting characters, an action or tactical combat system, and a gorgeous fantasy world to explore at your leisure.

The best part - you get to create a custom version of yourself and live out a full fantasy life within a videogame. Isn't that what games are for?

It turns out that a few people don't actually like RPGs. Though puzzled at first, I eventually came to the conclusion that these sorts have three main RPG turn-offs: the length, complicated statistical systems, and a too much to see and do mentality.

With these key reasons in mind I browsed the App Store RPG offerings to bring you this list of eight RPGs for people who don't like them.

1. The Shadow Sun - A fully-fledged Western RPG built for mobile by veterans of the Neverwinter Nights series, the appeal for RPG fans is obvious. However, The Shadow Sun is short, focussed, and contains a fun combat system that's a hybrid of tactics and action. The stat system is also very easy to follow and is very forgiving so there's plenty room for error even on hard mode.

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2. Reaper - Tale of a Pale Swordsman Reaper is a side-scrolling action RPG that takes real advantage of the touch screen. Combat is performed via a series of swipes and there's barely a UI to speak of, which was probably intentional considering that Reaper is a very good looking game. When you level up, rather than picking stats you pick a perk which changes your character in some way. It's a great system that lets you mold your character to fit your playstyle but effectively removes the margin for error for those new to the genre.

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3. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic - This is a true classic and undoubtedly one of the greatest RPGs of all time. Made by Bioware of Dragon Age and Mass Effect fame and excellently ported to iOS by Aspyr Media, it's a wannabe Jedi's dream come true. The plot is lengthy but completely engaging, the combat has enough action to excite, and the leveling system is friendly for newcomers. I can't recommend Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic enough.

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4. Bastion - An indie-hit when it originally arrived on PC and Xbox 360 back in the day, Bastion was excellently ported to iOS soon after. It's an incredibly unique action-RPG, in which the entire world is built around you as you move and a snarky narrator always has something to say. Your weapons can be upgraded to take on different properties such as a wider or quicker range of attack. All upgrades are useful in different situations making experimentation all the more fun.

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5. The Bard's Tale - Another RPG classic, The Bard's Tale is a 2004 action-RPG reimagining of the 1985 original that was itself inspired by the classic Wizardry franchise. The game itself isn't half as convoluted as that, though. The bard is hilarious (and voiced by Cary Elwes from The Princess Bride), the combat is satisfying, and the visuals hold up nicely even today. It's also a decent port and keeps the stats to a minimum.

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6. Order & Chaos Online - Heavily inspired by World of WarcraftOrder & Chaos Online has carved its own path on iOS since its 2011 launch. The feat of squishing the full MMORPG experience onto your mobile is still impressive today and with new areas, dungeons, and races being added since it keeps getting bigger. I'd have been hesitant to recommend it for RPG none-fans when it first launched but the recently revised perk system is much easier to follow.

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7. Heroes Call - When this first arrived, it was plagued with terrible free-to-play sensibilities such as a strict energy system. That's all been removed now and, aside from a few in-app purchases for more gold and playable characters, it's entirely free-to-play. It looks fantastic though and has a really fun and unique tap combat system. Again, a lovely perk system replaces stats here.

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8. Infinity Blade - An on-rails RPG with an intuitive swipe-based combat system, Infinity Blade still has some of the best visuals in the App Store four years after first arriving. Two top notch sequels have followed since, marking Infinity Blade as a definitive iOS RPG series.

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Now tell us what you think. Why don't you like RPGs? Want to recommend us an accessible RPG? Let us know in the comments below!